Menavlicha Wada, near Wai

The tortoise at the entrance of the main temple room. Maharashtrian religious carvings are usually austere and not overtly ornate. Perhaps it is the basalt stone that does not lend itself to decorous stonework unlike the marble temples of Rajasthan. Perhaps it is the austere aesthetics of the patron.

The main deity is in a sunken room. I wonder if the room gets filled with water when the river floods in the monsoons.

I don’t have photographs since I was not allowed to take any inside the Wada, but this wada has 7 courtyards. I guess seven was an impressive number. A man’s wealth was judged by how many courtyards his house had in that time. We saw about 2 and also got to go upstairs to see Nana Phadnavis’s bed with the hand operated fan over it. The ceilings of the rooms were elaborately carved with a repetitive jaali cum flower motif, similar to a 'fleur-de-lis' shape. The windows in the bedroom were small, set inside the thick wada walls, they let in just enough sun to light up the room. You wouldn't be able to read a book in that light and you weren't supposed to. Reading, writing, sewing were all supposed to take place in the corridors adjoining the courtyards. The indoor-outdoor spaces where you spent time with the family, received guests - had lots of light and were very well ventilated. It was fascinating to see how the building functioned as both house and a barricadable fort.

Prabhat Road

The gallis (lanes) of Prabhat Road.

A grand old bungalow, supposedly the movie 'Virrudh' was shot here.

This time when I went back home (its weird how I still think of it as home, I think I travel between two homes), I managed to go to Jai Narmada Apartments, where I lived between the ages of 2 and 12 and take some photographs of the buildings. As it happens I was just in time, the building is now being demolished to make room for a bigger apartment complex. I look forward to seeing something new in the place of my former home, but I can’t help feeling a little nostalgic when I think of my childhood spent there. Prabhat Road when it wasn’t so busy, when mothers would not allow their children out in the afternoon as it used to be so lonely, so quiet. Who would believe it now, who saw Prabhat Road as of today? It is still green, still verdant, I still feel like I am home under the green canopy that shelters me the minute I enter any of its lanes. The trees hardly let any harsh sunlight in. What is filtered through is diffused greenish light, lots of shade and coolness. I swear the temperature drops at least 2’ as soon as I enter Prabhat Road. I admit my past visits have dismayed me, the rampant commercialization, the crowds, the hordes of people. Not what I remember, not what I am used to, not what I wanted to go back to. But I think I am making my peace with it. I found a wonderful new trail this time and I admit its super convenient to have the bakery, the medicine store, the laundry so close by. Especially convenient after the drive everywhere suburban lifestyle that I lead in the US. Of course my son will never play in Kamla Nehru Park like I used to in the morning, then there was no fighting for the swings or the slides. The old watchman will not come out to make sure we are not getting into mischief. The bhajiwali no longer recognizes me, my friendly neighborhood cobbler is gone. I don’t see the ricksaw wala who dropped me of to school, then Ferguson, then architecture college and then ‘sasari’. I am not sure if I would have been so sensitive to the changes that I see had I not moved away. I guess I am not sure if this the price that we pay for moving away or for growing up.

Two potraits

These are two attempts at potraits, one in pen and ink and one in acrylic. These were done a long time back, but finally thought about posting these.

Mother and child

Ganpati Inspiration

This year, I felt like I wanted to celebrate Ganpati by drawing an image of one. So here is what I came up with. Its not complete, but I wanted it to look festive, but at the same time, I love the austerity of stone idols. I tried to achieve a balance by keeping the idol gray, and the background, I colored in the very Indian tones of saffron and fuchsia. The two colors remind me of zendu (Marigold)flowers and gulal. I would never dare to wear those colors together, but they make me feel happy.

Art work

It seems to me this blog has a mind of its own. I started of thinking that it would be more or less about travel and food. But then politics took it over for a bit and now art will. Is this spontaneous morphing or is it just fickle old me?

Cooking for Mr. Latte

I just finished reading and rereading 'Cooking for Mr. Latte' by Amanda Hesser. A long time back, my friend A who also shares a similar appreciation for books about food, (not cookbooks really) had recommended this to me. But with the more pressing challenges of graduating on time, this sort of remained on the back burner. A few months back I came across it on the shelves of the public library and got it home. It was such a good read that it went straight to my birthday wish list and R bought it for me. I have always liked books where the narrative is interwoven with stories about food, houses - 'Under the Tuscan Sun' being a good example. This book follows a brief window in the author's life - her courtship with Mr. Latte and the role that food played in it from their first date to their marriage. I like the ease with which the author, (well she writes/ wrote about food for the New York times, so that would explain the ease) writes about her life, invites the reader to follow her experiences with her family and his, and the progress of their relationship, in all of which, food plays a part. In all it was a light, feel good read, for those times when you just need a break!

Corn Chilli Soup

A long time back, R and I had gone to Austin Java Cafe for dinner. We always order their soup and sandwich special. I love soups and they always have a good soup on their daily specials. Our perennial favorite is the African Spicy Peanut Soup, but they had a jalapeno corn chowder that particular day which sounded intriguing. So I went ahead and ordered that. (I am the culinary adventurer of the couple, as you might be able to tell). It was fantastic. A smooth , slightly sweet corn soup with an underlying spicy smoky taste of jalapenos. I don't know how they make it, but I have been dying to recreate it or at least attempt it ever since. I finally got to try it out a few days back. I think theirs was a smooth corn texture, but I let about 1/4th of the corn stay whole and I ended up using Thai Birds Eye chillies instead of jalapenos.

I used about 20 ounces of sweet corn kernels and 8-10 Thai Birds Eye chillies. I covered the corn with about double the amount of water in my soup pot and set it to boil. While the corn was boiling, I stir fried the chilies in a little oil in a pan. When the corn boiled over once, I turned of the heat and let it cool a bit. Then I put about 3/4 of it along with the water from the soup pot in the blender along with the chillies. After pureeing it to a smooth consistency, I put the mixture back in the soup pot along with the remaining 1/4 of the whole corn kernels. I added about 2 tsps of salt and about 2 ounces of Velveeta cheese and let it boil for 10-15 minutes.

Obama vs. McCain

Some quick thoughts about the second Obama McCain Debate -

"that one"? huh, I found that patronising, condescending and very disdainful.

I liked Senator Obama's answer regarding the priorities he had while fixing the economy and also the fact that he thinks health care in such a country should be a right.

Overall, the debate was pretty much 'more of the same' but I guess after listening to this for atleast one year, one can't really expect anything new, at the end of the night for the last question regarding what they did not know and how they would learn it, I felt like they regurgitated their trademark lines over again just to say that closing statement.

One more to go - and then November 4th!

Biden vs. Palin

some quick thoughts on the vice presidential Biden Palin debate -

Senator Biden did not make any 'gaffes' as he was expected to, hurrah for Team Obama!

Governor Palin performed above expectations too.

But the main event of the debate for me was how well prepared Joe Biden is to be the vice president of this country. His answers were well informed, sincere, and he knew what he was taking about. I did not know that he has been advocating for intervention in Darfur, that's not an issue many people are talking about in this election, but he clearly felt strongly about it. I haven't been the biggest fan of Joe Biden, I supported Hillary Clinton through out the primaries and was rooting for her to get the VP nomination. Can you imagine that debate - Clinton vs. Palin... that would have been THE debate to watch. But then Senator McCain would probably have never chosen Governor Palin as his running mate if Hillary Clinton had been the vice-presidential nominee. If people still feel that the Republicans are going to get the womens vote, they really need to take a look at Joe Biden's record on womens issues. It was an interesting departure from the first debate that the media were tracking men and women on the debate and not Democrats, Republicans and Independants. Time and again, and especially after Bidens answer regarding him being a single parent to his children after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, I felt his answers showed humility, decency and grace under pressure. After watching Joe Biden today, I say 'good choice- Barack!'

Hillary vs. Palin

As I have mentioned before, I was an avid supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Democratic Primaries. That she isn't the nominee is disappointing, but well Barack looks like he is on the right path. But McCain choosing Palin as his running mate sure riled me up! I love this Newsweek article in which the author Patti Davis lays out why Governor Palin is not really the right choice to entice the votes of Hillary backers. Governor Palin might prove to be a good Vice President, but she sure is no Hillary Clinton!

Some Green Articles

May's issue of Vanity Fair magazine, the Green issue has excellent articles about architecture, farming practices, policy backing involved in the greening of energy supplies etc. Some articles that I found very informative were:

Industrial Revolution: Take Two - an article about the author of 'Cradle to Cradle' William McDonough and his architectural practice and beliefs. Its put the book 'Cradle to Cradle' on my 'must read soon' list.

Barack Obama in Austin : Round 1 in the K household

R and I have both been passionate followers of the Primaries, R more so than me. Since we are a house divided on the issue, though we both support the Democrats this election, we have many long and heated 'conversations' on the subject. We have both agreed to disagree without trying to convert the other to our cause. I have been supporting Senator Clinton till now, while R is a staunch Barack loyalist. I would like to make this clear that I do not oppose Senator Obama, I think it is the policy grounding that I got in my planning degree which makes me support Hillary who as is evident in her speeches and debates, is an unashamed policy wonk, though of course the idea of the first female US President is in itself tremendously exciting. I do of course believe that she is thoroughly qualified to be the President. When we heard that Barack Obama would be conducting a townhall in Austin on the 28th of February, we both jumped at the chance to attend.

The townhall was supposed to start at 9.30 am at the Austin Convention Center. R, I and our friend A, in our enthusiasm got there at 7.15 to discover a long line outside. People had started lining up at 5 am! Well. Austinites are definitely passionate about their politics! The doors opened at 7.30 and we were able to get excellent seats in the third row, about 15 feet away from the podium. By 9.30 the place had pretty much filled up and one could feel the excitement in the air as everyone waited for Barack Obama to show up. He showed up around 9.50 to the loud chanting of Yes We Can! There is no denying that he is an extremely charismatic and gifted orator, with excellent control of the audience who were hanging on to his every word. The 15 minute speech felt a little jaded though, but the blame is probably on this media driven age where we have heard and read the speech many times over. I had two questions, one was about his plans to invest in green energy and the other to invest in funding research at Universities. Both got answered along with other questions and I must say that though of course there was not enough time to answer it in as much detail as I would have liked, he did have polices I would agree with. In all, he was able to take only six questions on subjects ranging from 'No Child Left Behind' , the US Patent Office, fiscal responsibility for the government, foreign aid to Africa to creating jobs for the next generation. I personally thought the highlight of the debate was the fact that he seems to be keen about fiscal responsibility, even though liberal Democrats are often accused of being big spenders. The 'cute' moment of the meeting came at the end, when he took a question from a 9 year old who actually had two questions, the first one being if he would sign her book.

I liked the fact that he doesn't offer a panacea to everything and doesn't promise that the government would solve everyones' difficulties. He emphasized that although the government could put helpful policies in place and help people along the way, it is up to people to be proactive and take charge of their lives. I thought that this attitude overall makes him a compelling choice for the Democrat nominee. Of course I am still not a total convert till I give Hillary a chance!

Indian curry at Java Noodles

After enduring a considerable period of time feeling nauseated by the sight, smell and even thought of food, I felt really happy at having regained a semblance of my former appetite. I still don't feel like eating any kind of meat. But the one exception I can always make is for the Indian chicken curry at Java Noodles, an Indonesian restaurant in Austin. One might well wonder why would an Indian go to eat Indian chicken curry at an Indonesian restaurant. I did run a quick Google search on Indian curries in Indonesia, but not with much success. I have no idea if it is eaten in Indonesia or if this is creation that took place in the US. Since Java Noodles is a good 14-15 miles from my house and the Indian curry is served only for Sunday lunch buffets, it's not a regular feature of our lives. But some days, the craving hits and I start dropping not so subtle hints to R and a few other friends. Fortunately R and our friends like the food there too, so not much persuasion is needed.

Making sure that we have a light or preferably no breakfast in order to do justice to our hearty lunch, we reach Java Noodles around noon. First I head towards the soup counter and help myself to tangy coconut soup. After that although there is a decent spread of other good stuff like satay, nasi goreng, rendang etc, I head directly towards the Indian chicken curry, ladling plenty of curry in a soup bowl along with 1-2 chicken pieces.I also help myself to some the crusty bread, which is perfect for sopping all the curry. One of the key features that makes this curry is that the chicken is not boned unlike the flavorless morsels which are usually served at other South Asian places where boned pieces are poached beforehand and then added to the curry while it is being heated. The fact that the pieces cook along with the curry lends it a special flavor. I am not sure what other ingredients are used, but I would guess there was liberal use of minced onions, grated coconut and lots of turmeric. I have tried the other food there before, and although it is quite good in it's own right, I don't want to to dilute the flavor of my favorite and so have given up on trying anything else. I do hope the restaurant adds this dish to their regular menu soon!

My Favorite Usal

On a trip to Mahabaleshwar a long time back, my family stopped at a roadside 'khanaval' (a restaurant which serves a Maharashtrian thali ) in Wai for lunch. I still have memories of the usal I ate there. It was intensely spicy and had the most delicious aroma. My mother told me that was because of the kanda lasun masala. I have been a fan of usal ever since, spicy usal with lots of rassa (liquid). Although it was part of the thali and was served with chapattis and rice, I find it tastes great with some bread too, especially the crusty kind to sop all the spicy rassa.

One half onion (about 1 cup)diced
2 cups tomoato diced
2 cups matki sprouts
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp asaefotida
1tbsp dry grated coconut
1 tbsp kanda-lasun masala
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste.
1/2 tbsp peanut oil

Heat the oil in a kadhi / wok
Add the mustard seeds to the oil and the asaefotida. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the onion. After the onions turn soft and slightly yellow, add the tomatoes, coconut, salt and kanda lasun masala. When the tomatoes become mushy and start letting out all their liquid, add the matki sprouts and about 2 cups of water. Set the heat on medium and let the 'usal' boil for some time. Add some more water as per your liking and some chilli powder and salt as per taste. Garnish with coriander. It tastes great if some lemon juice is added right before serving.

Tomato Soup

I have loved tomato soup ever since I was a child. Steaming hot soup with lots of croutons, a swirl of cream and generous sprinklings of freshly ground black pepper.. yum! Hotel Darshan in Pune at the intersection of Prabhat Road and Karve Road used to serve really good tomato soup. In Austin, Romeo's serves a really good tomato basil soup. Tomato enthusiasts know that the best tomatoes are available here in summer, but this is a great way to eat some tomatoes in winter too. This is also a great lunch option with some crisp toast instead of the croutons.
However I am not a big fan of tomato soup loaded with cream, it takes away from the natural taste of the tomato. I much prefer a lighter soup with a more concentrated tomato taste. The addition of cream is basically for thickening the consistency and to give it a smoother texture. One way to get round this is to add cornflour, but a better way is to add boiled carrots or potatoes. Carrots are preferable for the color as well as the taste they add to the soup.

Start by washing 4-5 big tomatoes, usually Roma. Cut a cross shape at their stem end to make it easier to peel them later. I take 2 carrots, wash them thoroughly, cutting the carrots into 2-3 pieces each. Set some water to boil, enough to cover all the tomatoes. After the water comes to a boil, add the tomatoes, stem end up, along with the carrots.

Let the water boil for some time, till the skin of the tomatoes starts shrivelling and the carrots turn a little soft. At this point, turn off the heat and remove the tomatoes and carrots from the water with a slotted spoon. I save the water to add to the soup later. I usually wait till the tomatoes cool down before peeling the skin. Blend the peeled tomatoes, and carrots in a blender to a smooth puree, adding some water from the boiling pot if needed. Pour the puree back in the boiling pot. Add about 2tbsp of butter, 4-6 peppercorns, some salt and some basil if desired. Bring back to a boil. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes before tasting for salt. Add a little sugar if desired to balance the tomatoes. Simmer for 5-10 minutes more and tomato soup is ready!

Awaiting The Deathly Hallows

Along with many other things, my genetic inheritance from my parents is a love of reading. My mother and my father both love to read, though they both read very different genres. Back in Poona, our house is crowded with book shelves. The one thing I have never been denied (for the fear that I might be spoilt) is a library membership. I even got to choose my own library at the age of seven as I was not too happy with the selection from the library my mother went to. Not too many Enid Blytons there! People who lived in or are living in India will remember that libraries in India are usually small private enterprises, usually housed in an outhouse or garage and run by retired folks or ladies who look at it as a part time occupation. The first thing I wanted to do after some super stressful exams was to go home and read a good book, stay up late in the night reading. I think I always disappointed my peers who would have rather gone out partying or at least for a movie.When I saw the library collection at UT, Austin (yes, I am a Longhorn!!), the tenth largest in the United States, according to the American Library Association, with 8,937,002 volumes, I was elated. Every book that I could think of, I could get.

This week, me and my friends are living in eager anticipation of Harry Potter - The Deathly Hallows, surely the biggest phenomenon in the book reading world to date. Part of the Harry Potter experience has been this waiting period between each book, of going over the many possibilities of what could happen and finding out what actually did. I got into the series quite late - just before the launch of book 4. Once I started reading, I was addicted. Always on the lookout for a good book, the fact there were 3 more books to follow made me extremely happy. Book 7 will be the culmination of the series, when all the missing links get tied in and all the questions get answered (hopefully not too tragically). I wasn't around when Lord of the Rings was being published, so cant really compare it to what it must have felt like to wait for the later parts. But I do feel really lucky to have been around for this series. I am sure having all seven books at hand is not the same! So 5 days, and 10 hours to go .........

The Cool House Tour

Austin is routinely rated among the best places to live in the USA. Most ratings seem to elicit just a good natured yawn from long time residents - sort of like... well we already knew that, didn't we? Tell us something we don't know. I confess I hate Austin summers, but there is little else i don't like about this city I now call home. A booming metropolis on the make, with a small town feel, getting more and more diverse by the day with a young energetic population, Austin offers a lot of opportunities to do well 'Austiny' things. Like spending a Sunday going about town, carpooling of course with good friends S and S, to see and experience 8 environment friendly houses at the start of the Austin summer. The Cool House Tour 2006, organized by the Texas Solar Energy Society and the Austin Green Energy Building Program offered 8 houses that have incorporated different features to go green. Looks like in addition to all the accolades Austin regularly receives, it is now aiming to become one of the greenest cities in the US. Way to go!! As an architect by education, and an environmentalist by vocation, I loved the idea. After visiting each of the houses, (no we did not skip a single one) I was even more impressed. All the houses looked very different, reflecting the personalities of the people who lived in them. All of them were warm and inviting and had none of the cold mechanical look that might be associated with green buildings. Careful and judicious use of green building features like ceiling fans to reduce the load on air conditioning systems, sensitivity to site design, use of appropriate and sometimes recycled building materials, water tanks, bamboo flooring etc. combined into the very distinct design of each building led to a very pleasing effect overall. I and R came back with some resolutions, (The Cool House Tour- our resolutions), which we hope to gradually incorporate into our own house. So if you are in Austin at the start of summer, do try and go for the Cool House Tour!

Tomato Pickle (tomatoche lonche)

Tomato pickle is a finger licking good relish, which both I and R love. Lots of tomatoes, garlic, and chillies, sort of like an Indian version of a cooked salsa. My mother made this frequently and I always ate it more like a bhaji (vegetable) than a lonche (pickle). I love to have it with some simple amti bhat or varan bhat. Though earlier I used canned sliced tomatoes for convenience, I have come back to dicing tomatoes myself, even though it is a fairly laborious task as a lot of raw cut tomatoes yields a comparatively small amount of the cooked pickle. Although the preparation time is not much except for dicing the tomatoes, it does take quite a long time to finish cooking. But being patient pays off when you taste the saturated hot garlicky tomatoey taste! When I recently saw the theme of Regional Cuisine of India - June hosted by One Hot Stove, I knew what my entry would be. This is my entry for RCI June: Maharashtrian Cuisine.

Recipe
About 2.5-3 cups of diced tomatoes.
5-6 green chillies, diced into rounds
5-6 cloves of garlic , sliced thin
salt to taste
some sugar, if needed
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2tbsp oil
5-6 kadhipatta (curry) leaves (optional)

Heat the oil in a kadhai / wok. Add the mustard seeds after the oil is hot. After the mustard seeds splutter, add the garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. After the garlic turns golden and slightly crisp, add the tomatoes. Stir the contents of the kadhai, add some salt.
Leave on medium heat, till all the juices from the tomatoes evaporate and you can see the oil separating from the mixture. This part takes a fairly long time. Taste the mixture and add some sugar if the tomatoes are very sour. Turn the heat off and let it cool down for some time.

Living in Tacoland

After spending almost four years in Tacoland (Austin) with it's umpteen number of Taco Shacks, Taco Delis, Taco Cabanas and of course the ubiquitous Taco Bell, one tends to take the taco for granted. Though I did fall in love with the first ever potato egg cheese breakfast taco that I ever had (lots of hot salsa on the side, of course), nevertheless I have never gone somewhere just to eat tacos. Till I discovered Torchy's Tacos on South First - a humble mobile food place, it reminded me of the Chinese ( really Indian Chinese) food vendors near University Circle in Pune. Though our moms frowned at our eating there, and the food was not perhaps the best (nostalgia makes everthing taste better), it was always a fun place to go to with my friends, sit on our two wheelers, munching chicken lollipops and eating spicy chicken Manchurian with fried rice.

Torchys reminded me a little of the same, though it is located at a much prettier setting, by the side of a creek with red lanterns strung on tree branches. However the rest of it is bare basic functional with a few plastic chairs and tables between the two mobile foot eateries. The food is good and justifies the line of people always seen there. The first time I went there, I had the monthly special Cool Runner taco comprising of Jamaican Jerk Chicken, avocado, mango, cheese and freshly squeezed lemon in a flour tortilla. It was so good that my Ranch Hand ( I hope I remember the name correctly here) taco paled in comparison and I don't recollect it at all. It wasn't bad at all, but the Cool Runner just completely overshadowed it. The unusual combination of the spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken with the sweet- sour mango flavor and the smooth avocado and a squeeze of lemon juice was just delicious. I was left thinking if only I had ordered two of the same. Two were plenty of food for lunch and more than enough motivation to convince R to make the trip back with me some day.

The next time we went, we also had our friend A ( always willing to try something new), all of us ravenous after a 5k ( to be honest, I walked). We got done with the 5k around 11 am, a perfect time to eat some tacos. After a long and circuitous drive from Mozart's to South First (for some reason, many streets were closed downtown), we reached Torchys only to discover to my great dismay that they had changed the monthly special (yes, it does change every month). So no Cool Runner this time. I ordered the Baja Shrimp and a potato, egg, and jalapeno breakfast taco. R ordered the same while A ordered the breakfast taco along with a fried avocado taco ( highly recommended by vegeterians), all on corn tortillas this time). The Baja Shrimp was yummy with fried shrimp in a creamy sauce and shredded cabbage and carrots. The creamy sauce probably had crushed jalapenos in it. The breakfast taco was good too, but I ll opt for a flour tortilla for the breakfast taco next time as the corn was a little too strong a flavor for the egg and potato mixture. R and A liked their tacos enough to order one more. Go Torchys! I ll be coming back for more.